WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — A bill that could ban TikTok in the U.S. is now the law of the land. So, what happens next?
Lawmakers say the popular app can stay if it gets sold, but TikTok is promising a legal fight.
This week President Biden signed a new law that gives TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance nine months to sell the app, with a possible three-month extension if a sale is in progress.
“There’s certainly time on the books, to see how this plays out,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) says right now there are concerns that China’s government has too much authority over the app.
“This is a huge collection tool both in terms of data and in terms of propaganda for the Chinese,” Warner said.
That’s why he says forcing a sale to a non-Chinese owner is critical for U.S. national security.
“I think there’s a lot of creativity on TikTok. I don’t want it to go away. I just don’t want, at the end of the day, it to be controlled by a foreign adversary,” Warner said.
“There are already American, investors who are willing and are interested,” Jean-Pierre said.
But TikTok doesn’t seem ready to sell, with CEO Shou Chew instead promising a lawsuit.
“We aren’t going anywhere. We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts,” Chew said. “The facts and the Constitution are on our side and we expect to prevail.”
Even some U.S. lawmakers say the new law violates free speech. Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) shared his concerns ahead of the vote.
“It could and likely will result in widespread censorship,” Markey said.
If TikTok’s legal challenges aren’t successful, he’s skeptical a sale will really happen.
“The actual chances of a divestment in a year, if ever, are very small. A TikTok sale would be one of the most complicated and expensive transactions in history,” Markey said.
